The present invention relates to conveying systems, and more particularly to sorting conveying systems.
Assembly areas typically include a plurality of work stations at which individual articles are assembled and a storage zone wherein articles to be assembled are stored. A variety of conveying systems have been developed to deliver articles from the storage zone to the individual work stations. More particularly, the conveying systems used are sorting conveyors, capable of delivering an individual article to a predetermined work station.
However, known sorting conveyor systems require some type of identification to be placed on the conveyed article so that the identification may be read by the system during article transportation to properly route the article. This requires the articles to be carefully and laboriously labeled, and further requires relatively complex and expensive devices for reading the identification and properly directing the articles through the system and diverting them at the destination work stations.
Additionally, it is desirable to collect management information from the individual work stations. More particularly, it is desirable to monitor the number and types of articles processed at the work stations to facilitate scheduling, to control inventory and work flow, and to evaluate the speed at which the operators are working. Additionally, it is also desirable to monitor the arrival, break, and departure times of the operators.
Typically, management data is collected by supervisors or by the operators themselves. In either event, a written record is maintained for each employee, setting forth the information outlined above, supplemented by punch time cards. This information is then analyzed by management personnel to schedule, to order inventory, and to determine whether the operators are performing satisfactorily. Optionally, the data may be first placed into some type of computerized data bank to ease the expedite this analysis. However, the written records are subject to human error as well as intentional misreporting, particularly if kept by the operators. The efficiency information is subject to transcription error if transferred to a data bank. Finally, the data collection requires excessive worker or supervisor time and gives the individual workers a feeling that they are being closely supervised.